Piano Solo
Tribute to Kerouac (completed
1998). Duration 16'30"
A very jazzy suite in six small movements, inspired by the life and writings
of Jack Kerouac.
Order score from Brixton Publications.
Elegy for a Friend (1997). Duration
8'37"
Recorded on American Reflections: David Alpher Chamber Music (Ongaku
Records #024-112). D.A., piano.
A very personal, sometimes bitter lament; moving through harshness into consonance.
To order score, contact David Alpher.
Ground and Seven-Heaven (1990).
Duration 8'
A bluesy/jazzy piece, first lyrical, then virtuosic. The "ground" is the first
part's repeating bass line, as in the Baroque; "seven-heaven" is the second
part, a world where everything is in 7/8 time (one of my favorite meters). Written
at request of pianist Grace McFarlane and performed by her in the U.S. and China.
To order score, contact David Alpher.
Las Meninas: Variations (1985).
Duration 16'
Inspired by Picasso's visual variations on Velázquez's painting commonly known
as "Las Meninas." Commissioned by Harvard University philosophy professor Nelson
Goodman. Over 25 performances worldwide (solo and ensemble versions), including
Spain, Finland, and Brazil.
Order score and parts from Brixton Publications.
One Voice and Piano
Songs on the Passage of Time
for high voice and piano (2000, arr. 2003). Duration 20'
Five songs to poems by Lisel Mueller, Robert Creeley, Mark Strand, James Wright,
and W. B. Yeats. Diverse poetic and musical approaches to the subject of time's
passage.
To order score, contact David Alpher.
Songs of Transcendence
for high or low voice and piano (1997). Duration 21'
Six songs to poems by Emerson, Whitman, Thoreau, Margaret Fuller, and Jones
Very, reflecting the intellectual excitement of the New England transcendentalists
(1835-1860).
Recorded on American Reflections: David Alpher Chamber Music (Ongaku
Records #024-112). Robert Honeysucker, baritone;
D.A., piano.
To order score, contact David Alpher.
The Field's Edge: Five Songs to
Poems of James Wright for baritone and piano (1996). Duration 13'
Evocative songs to the work of a Pulitzer Prize-winning American poet.
Commissioned by the James Wright Festival, Saratoga, California, and premiered
there March 1997 by Nmon Ford, baritone, and David Alpher, piano.
To order score, contact David Alpher.
Hinting of Other Places for
high voice and piano (1983). Duration 9'
Six songs to quirky, epigrammatic poems by Anne Spencer Lindbergh. Commissioned
by Lila Deis, soprano, and premiered by her and David Alpher, piano, at Merkin
Hall, New York, September 1983. One song ("Loves") written subsequently.
To order score, contact David Alpher.
Three Blake Songs for high or
low voice and piano (1980). Duration 6'30"
Songs to poems from William Blake's Songs of Innocence and Experience.
To order score, contact David Alpher.
Assorted songs (1978-2000); contact
David Alpher for details and scores.
Cabaret songs (lyrics by Jennie Litt) (2004-present) For complete information, go to www.litt-and-alpher.com
Chorus and Piano
Three Psalms for SATB
chorus and piano (1982). Duration 5'
Psalms 24 (selected verses), 128 (selected verses; a cappella), and 117.
To order score, contact David Alpher.
Hashkivenu for cantor,
SATB chorus and piano (organ) (1984). Duration ca. 5'
A setting of the Hebrew prayer, commissioned by the Metropolitan Synagogue of
New York.
To order score, contact David Alpher.
One Voice with Chamber Ensemble
Song of Witness for baritone,
flute/alto flute, viola, cello and piano (2001). Duration 18'
Text consists of ten haiku written by inmates at Japanese-American detention
camps during World War II. Commissioned by Crossroads Arts Council, Rutland,
Vermont. Premiered March 2002 by Christopheren Nomura, baritone; David Alpher,
piano; and The Gainsborough Trio.
To order score and parts, contact David
Alpher.
Songs on the Passage of Time
for soprano, horn, violin, cello and piano (2000). Duration 20'
Five songs to poems by Lisel Mueller, Robert Creeley, Mark Strand, James Wright,
and W. B. Yeats. Diverse poetic and musical approaches to the subject of time's
passage. Commissioned by Rockport Chamber Music Festival and premiered there
June 7, 2001.
To order score and parts, contact David
Alpher.
Hinting of Other Places for high voice, violin,
cello and piano (1984). Duration 9'
Six songs to quirky, epigrammatic poems by Anne Spencer Lindbergh. An arrangement
of the voice-piano version, done at the request of An Die Musik and premiered
by them at Merkin Hall, New York, in 1984.
To order score, contact David Alpher.
Vocal Quartet And Piano
Theme with Variations
for SATB vocal quartet and piano (1978). Duration 10'
Poem of the same title by James Agee. A gentle exploration of the animal world's
nightly passage into sleep. Premiered at Grenoble, France in 1981.
To order score, contact David Alpher.
Narrator and Piano
Land of the Farther Suns
(1992). Duration 19'
Poems by Stephen Crane. Essentially a song cycle, only spoken instead of sung.
By turns jazzy, lyrical, and dramatic, this is a unique journey into alternative
worlds and unusual perspectives.
Order score from Brixton Publications.
Narrator and Chamber Ensemble
Land of the Farther Suns for narrator, four flutes
and piano (1992). Duration 19'
Poems by Stephen Crane. Essentially a song cycle, only spoken instead of sung.
By turns jazzy, lyrical, and dramatic, this is a unique journey into alternative
worlds and unusual perspectives. The flutes also double piccolo, alto and bass
flutes; this family of instruments emphasizes both the diversity and unity of
the text.
Recorded on Eyewitness (Innova
#556). Garrison Keillor, narrator; Flute Force;
D.A., piano.
Order score and parts from Brixton Publications.
The Earth Is Ours for
narrator, violin, guitar and piano (1992). Duration 8'30"
This is a piece influenced by American folk music, with a jazzy middle section.
The poem by the late Robert J. Lurtsema addresses the necessity for our respectful
coexistence with non-human animals. A good idea for Earth Day celebrations.
To order score and parts, contact David
Alpher.
The Walrus and the Carpenter
for narrator, flute, viola and piano (1989). Duration 14'30"
Poem by Lewis Carroll. This piece resulted from my curiosity about how Carroll's
familiar poem would behave if removed from its child-oriented, Victorian context
and placed into an essentially jazzy American sound-world. It has had many performances
in the U.S., Italy, and notably in Germany.
Order score and parts from Brixton Publications.
DUOS
Flute and Piano
Ritornello (2002). Duration
12'
A lyrical dialogue, commissioned by Duo Sereno of Cologne. Premiered by them
June 1, 2002 in Buergel, Germany. Duo Sereno has exclusive European performance
rights prior to publication.
Order score and part from Friedrich
Hofmeister Musikverlag, Leipzig, Germany.
Flute and Viola
Cantilena (2005). Duration
5'30".
An interwoven texture of near-constant melody for two instruments that are rarely
heard as a duo.
Published by Kripplebush Publishing Company (contact
David Alpher).
Clarinet and Piano
Nightpiece (1994). Duration
6'30"
Concisely suggests a sultry, nocturnal urban scene — its warmth and its
"cool," appropriately scored for clarinet (the ultimate warm/cool instrument)
and piano, which is given a vital and at times dominating part.
Order score and part from Brixton Publications.
Violin and Piano
Memories of Der Rosenkavalier
(an adaptation, with Janet Packer) (1996) Duration 9'
A free rumination on themes from the Richard Strauss opera. Commissioned by
violinist Janet Packer and premiered by her and Jozef de Beenhouwer, piano,
at Boston University.
To order score and parts, contact David
Alpher.
Harp and Piano
Returnings (1990) Duration
9'31"
Not only thematic returnings, but also a symbolic reunion of the piano with
one of its ancestors, the harp. Much performed, especially in Germany.
Recorded on American Reflections: David Alpher Chamber Music (Ongaku
Records #024-112). Martha Moor, harp; D.A.,
piano.
To order scores (both instruments have full score), contact
David Alpher.
TRIOS
Clarinet, Violin, and Piano
Pathways (1999). Duration
19'
A meditation in three sections; the outer two deeply lyrical, the middle one
exploring — at times desperately — other paths.
Commissioned by The Verdehr Trio and Michigan State University and premiered
by The Verdehr Trio in 2000.
Order score and parts from Michigan State University Press.
Viola, Cello, and Harpsichord
Atlantic Legend (1983). Duration
15'
A trio in two movements, Baroque in instrumentation but evoking American folk
and theatre music in its language. Written at request of harpsichordist Jean
Newton and premiered by her at Merkin Hall, New York, September 1983.
Recorded on American Reflections: David Alpher Chamber Music (Ongaku
Records #024-112). Maureen Gallagher, viola;
Myron Lutzke, cello; Jean Newton, harpsichord.
Order score and parts from Brixton Publications.
Flute, Viola, and Harpsichord
Atlantic Legend (1983, adapted 1990). Duration 15'
A trio in two movements, Baroque in instrumentation but evoking American folk
and theatre music in its language.
Order score and parts from Brixton Publications.
QUARTETS
String Quartet
String Quartet (1987, revised
1999). Duration 20'
A large-scale quartet in four movements, in a Romantic idiom. Commissioned and
premiered by the Manhattan String Quartet.
To order score and parts, contact David
Alpher.
Oboe, Cello, Guitar and Piano
Las Meninas: Variations (1985). Duration 16'
Inspired by Picasso's visual variations on Velázquez's painting commonly known
as "Las Meninas." Commissioned by Harvard University philosophy professor Nelson
Goodman. Over 25 performances worldwide (solo and ensemble versions), including
Spain, Finland, and Brazil.
Order score and parts from Brixton Publications.
Clarinet, Tenor Saxophone, Piano and String Bass
Tribute to Kerouac (completed 1998). Duration 16'30"
A very jazzy suite in seven small movements, inspired by the life and writings
of Jack Kerouac.
Recorded on American Reflections: David Alpher Chamber Music (Ongaku
Records #024-112). Jonathan Cohler, clarinet;
Kenneth Radnofsky, tenor saxophone; D.A., piano; Robert Lynam, string bass
Order score and parts from Brixton Publications.
Brixton Publications
4311 Braemar Ave.
Lakeland FL 33813 U.S.A.
Phone and fax: (863) 646-0961
Email: buss_h@popmail.firn.edu
Website: www.brixtonpublications.com
Michigan State University Press
1405 South Harrison Road
Suite 25
East Lansing, MI 48823 U.S.A.
Phone: (517) 355-9543
Fax: (517) 432-2611
Email: msupress@msu.edu
FriedrichHofmeister Musikverlag
Leipzig, Germany
www.hofmeister-musikverlag.com